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From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Laini Taylor and Sabaa Tahir.

"Fans of characters like Rose Hathaway and Sydney Sage will flock to this impressive stand-alone novel." -- Booklist

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei's home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei's jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiguo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever....

Fei has so many great qualities - sensitive, artistic, compassionate, loyal, brave. She takes a huge step in breaking so many of her culture's mores in order to better her community. And the romance that built between Fei and Li Wei feels authentic and sweet.
It's possible this could be set almost anywhere, but the relationships and expectations of Fei's culture ring true. Fei's struggle with adapting to hearing also feels authentic to me - I'm having trouble adapting to a hearing aid after living with only one good ear my whole life. My concerns with the story are less with the setting and more with logic. When we learn that toxins in the mine are causing the deafness and now the blindness, I have to question why now? Why did generations of people mine without losing their sight and now blindness is "spreading" like a germ? Especially for Zhang Jing who only recently began observing in the mine on a daily basis while Li Wei has worked several years with no ill effects? The answer that the toxins affect everyone in different ways is inadequate. And to bring the mythical creatures in as a fix - but only for some - also feels arbitrary.

A unqiue tale about a village without sound and soon without sight. The village relies on food supplied from a kingdom down below that they poor for by supplying from their mines. Their people are growing weaker and when the food stops coming from the greedy people blow Fei risks everything to make the dangerous journey down the mountain to reason with the man behind the system.

A light easy read that I really enjoyed. Both Hero and heroine were brave and selfless. Though got a special place in my heart for the hero :), it was a bit of a stretch at the end but it worked. Love all Richelle Mead's books.